A trucker's life may be tough on the road, but often it can be just as difficult coming home after days on the job. With a husband who drove long-haul for ten years, Theresa Hammond learned to be patient when her trucker walked in the door.

"With so little time together, who wants to waste energy arguing?" she says. They handled problems while her husband was on the road, not saving the tough conversations for when he got home.

This type of regular communication, through calls or e-mail, helps couples stay emotionally connected and present in each other's thoughts, according to Tina Tessina, psychotherapist and author.

Once home, it is just as important that the trucker and his or her significant other keep talking, to solve the problems unique to the trucker's lifestyle, Tessina says.

Hammond can attest to that. Because she mostly stayed home while her husband was on the road, she was ready to go out when he got back. "But after being away, he wanted to stick around the house," she says.

Another Catch-22 is feeling a need to spend every moment with the returned spouse. "I'd feel guilty just doing the dishes," says Hammond.

Tessina says here's where negotiation is the key. "He probably misses his own friends and family, " she says. She suggests an early phone or e-mail reminder: "My book club meeting is Tuesday. That would be a good time to invite over your friends."

The key to reconnecting is for both sides to be sensitive to transitions. "Develop signals and learn to be complimentary and caring," Tessina says. Communication can help keep you both close.

Re-Entry Tips

Here's how psychotherapist Tina Tessina recommends truckers reconnect with their loved ones after time apart:

1. Greet each other warmly and say you've missed each other.
2. Ask how each other felt during the time away.
3. Talk about things that happened while apart.
4. Talk about problems.